On Monday, friends and family will be wearing Easter colors as they celebrate a “bright young life” taken too early in a shooting at Brown University.
Brown University sophomore Ella Cook was 19 years old and finishing her third semester studying French, math and economics when she was killed during a mass shooting on the school’s campus. First-year student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov was also killed.
On Dec. 22, friends and family will be at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama for a funeral service and visitation starting at 11 a.m. The burial will be held privately for the family.
The funeral service will be live streamed online.
Ella Cook’s life
Cook was born July 18, 2006, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Anna and Richard Cook, according to her obituary. Prior to studying at Brown, she graduated from her hometown high school in Mountain Brook, Alabama.
Cook was a lifelong, active member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent (Episcopal) in Birmingham. The church’s reverend previously described her to AL.com as a “bright light” in the world.
“Not only did her personal faith shine out like a bright Christmas star, but she loved others as real people, not as objects,” her obituary reads.
Cook was known for wide array of interests, including playing piano, dancing, spending time in nature and traveling — especially to places in which French is spoken. She was particularly passionate about teaching both academic subjects and biblical studies and hoped to one day have children of her own.
“From Birmingham to Providence to wherever she traveled, Ella attracted an almost reverent circle of friends. That is because she was intentionally concerned for the best interests of others,” her obituary reads.
- Read more: ‘Amazing promise’: Brown University president shares tribute to students killed in shooting
In a tribute to Brown’s two lost students, President Christine Paxson described Cook as “intellectually curious,” noting that the sophomore selected Brown for its Open Curriculum, which allows students extra freedom to choose their courses. During her time at the university, Cook became a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and vice president of the Republican Club of Brown University.
“As I learn more about the vitality she radiated, I wish so much that I had the opportunity to know her,” Paxson wrote.
Naturally soft-spoken, Cook was known for exuding a subtle, quiet form of leadership, her brother Hooker is quoted as saying in her obituary. Her sister Mary remembers her as “the best big sister ever” — “protective, responsible, and selfless.”
“Ella Cook lit up our world, and her reflected glory will be with her family and friends forever,” her obituary reads.
Honoring Ella Cook
In addition to her parents and two siblings, Cook leaves behind both her maternal and paternal grandparents, many other beloved family members and lots of cherished friends, according to her obituary. Her family asks that those looking to honor her memory donate to the children’s ministry at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, 2017 Sixth Avenue North, Birmingham, AL, 35203.
“Ella carried a kind of personal magic within her, from her quiet smile, to her consistent openness to new challenges and places, to her heartfelt Christian faith, to her kind encouragement of all whom she met who needed encouragement, to her persistent courage in following both heart and conscience,” her obituary reads.
